What are 'finite' resources?

Resources which are not formed quickly enough to be considered replaceable.

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What are the 2 new ways of extracting copper from low-grade copper ores (ores without much copper in them)?

  1. Phytomining.
  2. Bioleaching.

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Why are new methods of extracting copper from low-grade ores required?

Copper ores are becoming scarce, and traditional methods (e.g. digging) are not as effective.

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How does phytomining work?

  1. Plants absorb metal compounds from the soil as they grow.
  2. The plants are then harvested and burned to produce ash that contains metal compounds.
  3. The metal compounds can then be processed to separate the metals out (e.g. electrolysis or displacement with a more reactive metal).

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How does bioleaching work?

  1. Bacteria break down the low-grade ores to produce an acidic solution of soluble metal compounds, which we call 'leachate'.
  2. The metal compounds are extracted from the leachate.
  3. The metal compounds are processed to extract the pure metal (e.g. by electrolysis or displacement with a more reactive metal).

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How can metals be recycled?

  1. Melt the metals.
  2. Cast them into a new shape.
  3. Use them to form a new product.

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Give 2 benefits of recycling.

  1. We don't have to use so many new resources.
  2. The waste products don't fill up landfill sites.


(in some cases, recycling uses less energy than forming new products, but this is not always true)

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Outline the process of recycling glass.

  1. Some glass, such as glass bottles, can just be reused without any processing.
  2. Other glass has to be separated by colour and type, crushed, melted, and then reshaped into a new product. 

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